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1
Sacred Heart SHU 10-13-3, 7-9-2
5
Winner RIT RIT 13-10-3, 9-6-3
Sacred Heart SHU
10-13-3, 7-9-2
1
Final
5
RIT RIT
13-10-3, 9-6-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Sacred Heart SHU 0 1 0 1
RIT RIT 1 3 1 5

Game Recap: Men's Hockey |

Men's Hockey skates to 5-1 win over Sacred Heart

WEST POINT, N.Y. – RIT junior forward Andrew Rinaldi scored two goals to lead the Tigers 5-1 over Sacred Heart at Army's Tate Rink in Atlantic Hockey action, Tuesday.

After the Pioneers tied the game 1-1 early in the second, RIT rallied in the middle frame with three goals in a 9:06 span before adding a third-period marker to cap the game's scoring.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Rinaldi gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with the opening period's only goal after taking advantage of a Pioneer miscue 14:05 into the first. An errant Sacred Heart pass from behind the net on the right side ended up on the RIT junior's stick as he spun in the right circle while delivering a wrist shot. Junior forward Caleb Moretz helped force the miscue while bearing down on Sacred Heart's last player to possess the puck.
  • Sacred Heart tied the game 1-1 just 1:40 into the second. Pioneer forward Neil Shea's attempt to stuff the puck in the right post from behind the net was denied by freshman goaltender Tommy Scarfone, but Pioneer forward Austin Magera found the rebound on his stick to knot the game.
  • Senior defenseman Dan Willett got the game winner with 15:14 left in the second after his shot from the right point caught the low right post after getting a clean right faceoff circle win from freshman forward Carter Wilkie.
  • Rinaldi made it a two-goal Tiger lead with a rebound marker five feet outside the crease after Nicholson's shot from the right point found its way to Rinaldi's stick. Junior forward Jake Joffe lost his footing after feeding Nicholson and helped screen the Pioneer goaltender while sliding toward the net with 13:37 left in the second.
  • Senior forward Will Calverley redirected Nicholson's right point shot for a 4-1 Tiger lead with 6:08 left in the second. Sophomore forward Cody Laskosky started the play from deep in the Pioneer right end with an indirect pass off the boards to Nicholson, who pulled away from the right-point boards while throwing the puck toward the net.
  • Wilkie capped the game's scoring with the only goal of the third period with 11:33 remaining. Starting the play near his own blueline, Wilkie found freshman Grady Hobbs at the attacking blueline's right side. Hobbs completed the give-and-go as Wilkie entered the zone with speed and unleashed a wrist shot from the right side near the top of the circle.
 
 
GAME NOTES
  • Willett notched his second game winner this season (Nov. 26 at Princeton) and tied Josh Mitchell '16 for first in Division I-era program history with his 154th game played, while RIT senior forward Jake Hamacher tied Alexander Kuqali '16 for third with his 153rd appearance in a Tiger sweater. 
  • Rinaldi registered his second multi-goal game of the season (Oct. 8 at Army) and has three goals in his last two games after netting the game-tying goal at Bentley (Jan. 30).
  • Wilkie's two-point performance (1g, 1a) extended his point streak to four games with points in eight of his last nine games.
  • Nicholson picked up his first multi-point game this season after returning to the ice when a first-period collision briefly sidelined him.
  • Scarfoni stopped 14 of 15 shots to earn his second-consecutive win and third of the season (all on the road) with a .933 save percentage on the day.
  • It was only the third time (second in AHA play) this season the Pioneers allowed three goals or more.
  • RIT finished with 16 blocks on the afternoon, led by seven from Willett, who matched a career-high from 2021 games against St. Lawrence (Nov. 26) and Mercyhurst (Feb. 5).
  • The Tigers didn't allow a shot on goal in the third and it was the first time this season RIT held an opponent without a shot in a period.
  • The game was originally scheduled as part of a doubleheader hosted by the Pioneers in Connecticut on Jan. 1-2, but was postponed due to COVID protocol. The first make-up contest was a 3-2 RIT win (Jan. 11) in Rochester, while today's makeup game was played on a neutral site (Army) with Sacred Heart designated as the home team.
  • RIT completes a four-game road trip by taking seven of eight AHA points.

WHAT'S NEXT
RIT hosts AHA-leading AIC Friday and Saturday (Feb. 4-5) for its last regular season home Atlantic Hockey set at the Gene Polisseni Center. Faceoffs are set for 7:05 p.m. and 5:05 p.m., respectively.